Looking for a convenient GPS navigation app for navigating through the forest with the ability to mark animal bedding areas and save routes. Ideally it should work without internet and show terrain features. What would you recommend?
Do you hunt solo, or do you need something universal for different purposes?
For hunting, I'd recommend checking out Gaia GPS or Maps.me - both work without internet, show topography, and let you save your routes. Gaia's better for marking points of interest (camps, salt licks, and stuff like that) - it's specifically designed with field work in mind, but it requires a paid subscription. Maps.me is simpler to use and free, though it has fewer features. There's also OsmAnd - really powerful and flexible, but the interface is more complicated. On the plus side, it's completely free and you can download offline maps without any limits.
I've been looking at OsmAnd+ for my forest trips for a while now - it's really convenient for marking points on offline maps and then finding your way back along the route you've traced, plus it shows the terrain in pretty good detail. True, the interface seems confusing at first, but once you get the hang of it - it's way more flexible than something like Maps.me, especially if you need custom markers and map layers.
What's your experience with navigation like - have you been hiking in unfamiliar areas for a long time or is this your first time?
If you're planning serious multi-day camping trips, you absolutely can't get by without offline maps and reliable navigation - I know from experience. I personally prefer to combine things: I download maps to the app before heading out and keep a close eye on the battery so it doesn't die at the worst possible moment.
From what I've learned, the key is picking something where you can not only plot your route but also quickly mark points of interest without fumbling around with your phone in the freezing cold or rain. Both OsmAnd+ and Gaia GPS get the job done, but I ended up going with OsmAnd just because it has fewer glitches with saving markers and the maps don't take up a ton of storage space on my phone. The main thing is to download the whole region you need in advance, so you're not left guessing whether you'll have signal out in the forest.
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